A Quirk of Fate
by Apollo Hanzo
Summary: The Boy who Lived and the Jinchuriki of the Leaf. Each lived an extraordinary life, surrounded by friends and allies; but were destined to carry their burdens alone. What if fate gave these two marked heroes a chance to become stronger than ever before and at the same time, gain something neither had truly had - Family. Together, these brothers will take two worlds by storm.
1. The Boy Who Lived

Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto or Harry Potter. They're owned by Masashi Kishimoto and J.K. Rowling respectively. Please support the official release.

October 31st, 2002

There was nothing of particular notice about the neighbourhood that lay before her. The houses didn't stand out and the lawns are perfectly symmetric to the point of irritation. Where was the individuality she wondered? "These muggles are unbelievable," she muttered to herself. As she stood in the front lawn of number 4 Privet Drive, Professor Minerva McGonagall wondered what could possibly be keeping Albus when suddenly she felt a presence nearby as well as a loud rumbling in the distances.

"Good evening Minerva, though I wish I had more reason to mean it" said Albus, as he walked towards her. "Is it true?" She asked. They say that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is no more and that Lily and James are gone?" Albus looked grim as he responded, "I'm afraid it's true, all that remains is young Harry. In fact, here he is now." The rumbling she heard previously became louder as a large motorcycle came down the road, coming to a stop in front of them. "Evening professors" said Hagrid, moving towards them with a small bundle in his arms. "He hasn't made a peep since we started moving" he mumbled with clear tears in his eyes. Minerva and Albus looked at him and noticed a lightning bolt scar over his right eye. "Albus, is that…?" "Yes Minerva, that is most likely where he was struck by the curse. I would hazard a guess that he will carry that scar with him for the rest of his life and unfortunately, it will forever make him visible to the public. It's only been hours and people already give him a title that will weigh down upon him – The Boy Who Lived." It was at this point that the reality of the situation struck Minerva – this child was now an orphan and suddenly the reason for the four of them to meet in a muggle neighbourhood made much more sense.

"Albus! You can't mean to leave him with these strangers in the middle of the night!" she screamed. Albus moved towards Hagrid and picked up the child while speaking "These are not strangers to him, they're the only blood relatives he has left. This is the home of Lily's sister, Petunia and her family. At this point, Harry will only be safe in the home of those who share his blood so as much as I would love to see him grow up in our world, his safety is paramount. Additionally, here he can grow up without the expectations that our people would place on him. He can have a normal childhood without knowing the horrible circumstances that happened tonight." Minerva looked doubtful, but trusted that Albus knew what he was talking about. With a last look at the child, she and Hagrid said goodbye to Albus and Harry and returned to Hogwarts, knowing they would see the boy again in 10 short years.

"Well Harry, it seems like it's time for us to part ways" said Albus, as he conjured a makeshift crib and placed the young boy inside. Tucking a letter in the basket, he rubbed Harry's head. "Be safe, Harry" he whispered as he disapparated, leaving the boy to sleep peacefully until morning.

As she did every morning, Petunia awoke before her husband and began preparations for breakfast. She knew he would expect his cup of tea as well as a full meal before heading off to work. Whilst in the midst of cooking she heard something that sounds much like a baby crying, making her wonder if Dudley had woken up early. However, the sound seemed to be coming from outside and upon opening the door, she found Harry in his basket. Immediately she brought him inside, terrified that the neighbours might see something. She caught a glimpse of the letter beside him and while giving him a bottle of formula she had left in the fridge, she began to read it.

Vernon Dursley considered himself a simple man. He woke up in the morning with the intent to go to work and as a result, his darling wife Petunia should do everything in her power to make his life easy. When he made his way down the stairs, he saw his cup of tea already poured but it seemed like breakfast had been stopped midway through cooking. "Pet, where are you?" he called, moving into the living room. "Who's the kid?" he questioned, before looking at her, but noticed the color had drained from her face. "Pet, what's wrong?" he said and suddenly she seemed to tremble with rage. "He's HER child. My freak of a sister and her freak husband went and got themselves blown up and now we're expected to raise her freak child?!" Vernon stood there confused until he remember what Petunia had told him about her sister, that she was a witch and that all the mumbo jumbo hocus pocus stuff he had heard of as a child was real. How any normal, decent person could believe in that stuff was ridiculous in his opinion. "Can't we just dump him in an orphanage? Or leave him with his own kind?" said Vernon. "Seems like a much better idea than raising him ourselves" he said but Petunia shook her head "No, this letter says that we have to take care of him or some of *their* people will come after us". He didn't like the idea of some fairy tale believing crackpot telling him what to do, but from the stories Petunia had told him, he didn't think there was anything he could do to stop them. "Well, he's just a baby, maybe we can keep him from becoming a freak like her", said Vernon hoping to improve her mood but she didn't seem to agree. "No Vernon, he's going to be just as freakish as she was, turning teacups into toads and all sorts of unnatural things. I won't have it! Not in my home!" she screamed. "Right you are Pet, there'll be no freakish behavior in my home, but right now I don't think he can do much so lets just see how things go for now?" he said as he hugged her. "Alright dear, that makes sense, thank you. Now you sit tight and let me get your breakfast for you" she said with a smile.

Six years later…..

"BOY!" Petunia screamed, as she opened the door to his "room" the small cupboard under the stairs. He was startled as he had been in there for hours and had started to fall asleep. As she yanked him out into the hallway, she noticed how shaggy his hair had become, as well as his green eyes usually covered by his glasses much to her pleasure. The less she had to see her sisters' eyes staring at her, the better. "Now, go explain to your Uncle what you did" she said, making no attempt to hide her excitement.

As he walked down the hallway, Harry wondered to himself, what he could have possibly done to anger his aunt and uncle. He knew from a young age that they were not his parents since his last name wasn't the same as theirs. While he was smart for a child his age, he could not understand why his family treated him with such cold indifference. What had he done to deserve this, he wondered as he walked towards his uncle. He found his uncle sitting in this usual spot, watching T.V. and stood quietly, knowing only to speak when spoken too. "So boy, do you know why you're here?" His uncle said, in an almost calm sort of voice. "No Uncle Vernon, I don't." He replied, hoping against hope that his uncle wouldn't unleash his temper. "Tell me boy, what happened at school today? Did the teacher give you anything different, hmm?" Suddenly, Harry knew exactly what was going on. The only thing that had happened at school that was different was that both he and Dudley had received their report cards, but due to Dudley's complete lack of care towards his studies, Harry had done much better than him. "We received our report cards today Uncle Vernon. I got 4 As and 4 Bs." he said, smiling at his accomplishment. Vernon looked at him and slowly stood up. "So you feel proud of yourself? You shouldn't. Do you know why Boy? Because you're a little cheat, that's what you are! How dare you come here and act high and mighty knowing you beat my son because of your freakishness!" he screamed, spraying spittle all over Harry's face. Within moments of his uncle's tirade, Harry's face fell and he realized the futility of trying to impress his relatives. "You know you're nothing more than a freak who just tried to make Dudley look bad, right? Right?" "Yes, Uncle Vernon" he responded knowing that nothing he said could make a difference. "Well, I think you deserve some punishment for trying to embarrass your cousin, wouldn't you agree? Hmm, for now I think you'll just stay in your cupboard until I feel like letting you out!" he exclaimed as he grabbed his nephews' hair and dragged him down the hall and threw him into the cupboard.

Inside, Harry wanted to cry, to scream at the world about how unfair it was that he had to endure this. None of the other kids at school came in wearing clothes that we three sizes larger than them. None of the other kids were expected to make breakfast for their families and denied a taste of their product. Though he would like nothing better than to leave his so-called family and never return, he knew it would only end badly for him. While sitting in the dark of his cupboard, he realized, the only way he would ever survive would be to learn as much as he could but always make sure he performed slightly lower than Dudley on every exam, then when they reached high school, Dudley would most likely go to Vernon's alma matar while he would go to public school. While there, he could do as well as he wanted without worry of being compared to Dudley, and if he did well enough, he could go on to university and finally leave the Dursleys. However, fate had a different plan in mind for young Harry that would begin on his eleventh birthday.

The end of First Year at Hogwarts….

Since Hermione's choice for the potion to move through the fire was what he also picked, Harry felt confident that he would pass through the flames unscathed. He knew that whatever obstacle stood between him and the stone, he would have to face it alone. While Ron and Hermione had been helpful over the course of the adventure, Harry was relatively confident he could have completed most of the tasks by himself, using roundabout methods such as flying over the chessboard as opposed to playing his way through. However, when entering, what appeared to be a large chamber, Harry saw two things that shocked him. First was the Mirror of Erised, which he had spent nights staring into, letting it show him the only thing he truly desired – the presence of his family. He now knew them to be dead and gone but knowledge did not remove the yearning in the heart of an eleven year old to have his mother and father back. The second this that he saw was a person and with their presence immediately berated himself for not seeing it earlier.

Professor Quirrell looked at Harry, "Surprised to see me? Where you expecting Severus perhaps? I know he seems the type but alas it's just me in here. And my master" He said, mumbling the last bit. "Now be a good boy Potter and stay still while I figure out how to get the stone" spoke Quirrell as he silently cast a spell to tie ropes around Harry, preventing him from reaching his wand.

He paced around in front of the mirror, "I don't understand, I see myself presenting the stone to you master, but how do I get it?" he mumbled, when suddenly a raspy voice mumbled out "The boy. Use the boy to find it". Quirrell beckoned Harry towards the mirror and asked "What do you see boy?" As Harry looked at the mirror, expecting to see his family, he instead saw himself placing a smooth red stone in his pocket. While confusing he suddenly felt a bulge in his pocket and realized that the stone must have actually moved into his pocket. "Well, what do you see?!" shouted Quirrell, causing Harry to immediately lie. "I see myself sitting with my parents in the great hall," he said trying not to make eye contact with Quirrell. Again, the voice rasped out "He lies. Let me speak with him." "Master, you're not strong enough," said Quirrell, to which the voice replied, "I have strength enough for this." Quirrel turned around and slowly began unraveling his turban until finally, Harry saw what should have been the back of his head. Instead, of smooth skin or hair however, there was a face jutting out of Quirrell's head. Its eyes were red and where it's nose should be, mere slits into Quirrell's head – The face of Lord Voldemort.

"Do you see what I have become Harry? Stripped of my body and forced to seek refuge in the body of my follower like a lowly parasite, but we can change that. The Philosopher's stone is much more than you know. Yes undoubtedly you've heard that it can turn lead into gold and make a person immortal but that is only the beginning of its power. In ancient times, the stone was power in its purest form. The ability to create without cost was the true reward of possessing the stone. Transmuting the elements was Childs play to someone with its power. It was said that to one who had both the stone and the means to activate it, not even death could cross them. It could not only grant immortality but could raise the dead! Help me Harry and I can give you back your parents." Harry trembled at his words but screamed out "I'll never help you! You're an evil dark wizard and you killed my parents!" Voldemort smiled and looked at Harry "Come now child, good and evil, dark and light. Merely ideas and illusions we create to make ourselves feel better. There is no such thing as light magic or dark magic, there is only magic. Magic is nothing more than power and power belongs to those who take it! I offer you a chance to aid me, using the stone in your pocket!" Harry immediately flinched and started to backpedal out of the room when Voldemort screamed at Quirrell to grab him.

Harry tried to run backwards but stumbled and felt back against the stairs with Quirrell landing on top of him, when something curious happened. With Quirelll looming over Harry, his first instinct was to grab his hands to create some space when suddenly Quirrell's skin started to burn. "Master what magic is this?!" he screamed as his hands blistered. While Quirrell screamed, Harry realized there may yet be a way to get out of this, ran forward and wrapped his hands around Quirrell's throat trying to choke him into unconsciousness. However, he underestimated the potency of his magic and began burning right through Quirrell's neck but before it was done, the tips of his right hand brushed those of his left hand. Suddenly, a bright light erupted from below them and Harry knew no more.


	2. Jinchuriki of the Leaf

Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto or Harry Potter. They're owned by Masashi Kishimoto and J.K. Rowling respectively. Please support the official release.

October 10th 2000

The Hokage's tower. On a regular day Typically this building would be full of people, secretaries dealing with paper work, shinobi leaving on new missions and others returning with briefings for the Hokage, but this night was different. The hallways were vacant, save for the ever-hidden ANBU, the elite members of the shinobi force and the man they were assigned to protect – The Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. The main hailed as the Kami no Shinobi needed no real protection but at his age, backup would be appreciated, especially given the current situation. Sarutobi made his way down to the conference room, moving quickly but trying not to jostle the bundle in his arms, for lying sleeping was a newborn child, a young boy with bright blonde hair and three whisker-like marks along each cheek. As Sarutobi entered the room, he lamented over the events of the night and knew in his soul that the fate of young Uzumaki Naruto would be decided within the next few hours.

"Sarutobi you must see reason!" Shimura Danzo stated. "This boy is no longer a mere child, he is a jinchuriki, he contains more power than most people would know what to do with. Let me bring him into Root and I'll make sure that no enemy dares threaten the great tree again!" Sarutobi shook his head wishing his old rival had not become so bloodthirsty.

"Danzo, I thought I made myself clear before, you will NOT turn Naruto into one of your hollow soldiers. I will adopt him into the Sarutobi clan and he will be trained as though he was one of my own." He said, with steel in his voice. This was not the tone of the kindly grandfather figure some of the genin saw him as, but the cold strength of the Kami no Shinobi, a man that others would follow into Hhell and watch as it froze before him. While Sarutobi was softhearted and Danzo was a war hawk, there were two others in the room who provided believed they saw a balance between the two. Sarutobi's former teammates, Homura and Koharu nodded at each other and Homura said "said "Sarutobi, we can understand your concerns, this is Minato's child and you want to protect him, but if you wish for his status as the Kyuubi's jinchuriki and Minato's son to remain secret, you cannot adopt him. Ignoring the danger of other nations like Iwa or Kumo finding him, you could cause a civil war within the village just from the change in the balance of power. You know the Uchiha already feel slighted by the growing political power of the Hyuuga, to have the Sarutobi clan adopt a jinchuriki could set them ablaze." "So you would have him become a mindless puppet for Danzo?!" Sarutobi growled out. "No, not at all" Koharu said. "A jinchuriki cannot have their emotions broken, it would make it far too easy for the beast to blind them with promises of power. If Uzumaki joins Root, he could fall prey to the Kyuubi and we would find our village in the same condition it was a few hours ago." Danzo looked at her with thinly veiled anger. "Then what would you propose we do with the child?" he questioned. "It's quite simple, we claim he is another orphan from the attack. He will be placed in the orphanage but won't be given any information about either of his parents until he reaches chunin. With Sarutobi's law in effect, he should be able to live a relatively normal life." responded Homura. Before Sarutobi could respond, there was a poof of smoke and the ANBU captain Inu stood before them. "Councilors, Hokage-sama, forgive my intrusion, but there is a situation outside that demands your attention." He stated, his usual flippant manner gone, leaving the members of the room concerned. "What problems could cause such concern that you would see fit to disrupt an emergency council meeting Inu" Danzo said with boredom in his tone. "Sir, it would seem that a large group of civilians have gathered outside the tower. Some fool has told them the of the Kyuubi's fate and as such they now demand young Naruturo's death" he said with sorrow and rage in his voice. The councilors grew cold with shock at his message. How could the villagers be so blind as to wish death on an innocent child for the sins of a monster? Sarutobi felt the weight of his 60 years and stood suddenly. "Inu, stay with the child. If anyone but me tries to enter this room, see that they forever understand their mistake." Sarutobi moved to leave the room and found he was followed by his three councilors, each wearing a look of disgust on their faces.

As they reached the balcony, Sarutobi saw a large group of civilians being surrounded by his shinobi. "What is the meaning of this" he spoke, not shouting but making sure his voice was heard by all. "Hokage-sama, the Kyuubi has not been dealt with! We must kill it at once so our loved ones can be at peace" "It's a monster in disguise, it's already killed the baby, it's just wearing it's skin so it can blend in with us and wait to strike". Different civilians shouted to the balcony leaving Sarutobi shell-shocked. "The demon has bewitched the Hokage, we should march inside and kill it now to save our beloved Hokage!" One fool screamed which was enough to bring Sarutobi back to the moment. "Silence!" he commanded, allowing his chakra to leak out and impose his will upon the group. "When did civilians presume to intrude on shinobi affairs? I will say this only once so pay attention, or I'm sure Ibiki will enjoy teaching each and every last one of you this lesson. As of this moment, no one over the age of 15 is to know the truth about the Kyuubi. If asked, you will tell them that the Yondaime killed it and sacrificed himself to finish the job. You will treat Naruto like a normal child, is that understood?" he paused waiting for a response. "I said, is that UNDERSTOOD?" allowingAllowing more chakra to leak into the air, giving the civilians the impression that they were being suffocated. "Yes Hokage-sama" a few responded while others collapsed to their knees. "The truth of this matter will be a SS-class secret. To reveal it will result in immediate death. This is my law, now leave before I express my displeasure at having to waste time dealing with you." Sarutobi stated before the crowedcrowd dispersed at a high speed. He looked over at the Hokage monument and stared at the face of the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato. "I hope I've done the right thing Minato-kun. If only you were still here, then I could enjoy my retirement in peace, but alas the great tree needs us to be firm and resolute inresolute in these times of hardship." In later years, Sarutobi would swear he saw the Yondaime's face twitch into the smallest of smiles at that.

Ten years later….

"Alright! Got the scroll, now I just need to learn one justsu from it and Mizuki-sensei said I can be a genin." Naruto exclaimed in glee, as he unrolled what he thought was a generic scroll, but was actually the scroll of seals, a repository of forbidden and high ranked techniques given out only to exemplary shinobi. That Naruto managed to steal it right from the Hokage's office resulted in a village wide manhunt for the young, oblivious jinchuriki. "Awww man another clone jutsu? Ah what the hell, letslet's try it anyways" Naruto" Naruto decided, before getting down to business. An hour later, he felt he felt pretty proud of himself and in a moment of clarity, realized he had an opportunity in front of him. He knew his teachers for the most part ignored him, that the librarians wouldn't let him take any training scrolls and that he couldn't bother Hokage-jiji all the time for training tips. Opening the scroll further, he noticed more jutsu and decided to copy them down. "Who knows, maybe I'll learn all of these and become super strong then I'll beat Jiji and become Hokage and everyone will respect me!" He shouted, not noticing his surroundings, for if he had been, he would have noticed a new addition to his clearing.

Iruka ran frantically, looking for any sign of his idiot pseudo-brother so that he could beat some sense into his head and maybe save him from being thrown in prison for the rest of his natural life. While passing through the training grounds, he noticed an orange jacket hanging over some bushes and realized Naruto must be close by. He saw the child, covered in scrapes but his emotions took charge and he ran in shouting. "Naruto! What do you think you're doing?!" he screamed causing the boy to turn around suddenly. "Ahh Iruka-sensei, I should have guessed you'd be in on this too. So what, do I just show you the justsu and you gimme the headband or what?" Naruto said, with a smile on his face. Iruka lookedIruka looked at Naruto with confusion when he heard something whistling in the distance. After a moment he realized that it was the sound of a large shurken hurtling towards them! "Naruto, get down!" He screamed, as he threw himself over the boy only to feel a sudden coldness, followed by a rush of pain as the shuriken impaled his back.

"Ah Naruto, well done , now be a good boy and hand me that scroll." Mizuki said from his perch above them. Naruto looked up, confusion written all over his face. "Mizuki-sensei, why did you throw that, look what you did to Iruka-sensei" he shouted, not understanding what was going on. "Run…Naruto, he tricked you into stealing the forbidden scroll. Don't let him get it" Iruka managed to get out before collapsing in pain. Naruto began to back away, tightly gripping the scroll when Mizuki began to grin at him. "Naruto, do you know why everyone looks at you so badly? Do you know why none of the kids want to be your friend? You know why everyone hates you?" he shouted, stopping Naruto dead in his tracks. This was something that tore at him for as long as he could honestly remember. Why. Why. WHY?! What could he have possibly done to earn their hate?, tThose dead eyes staring at him as though he didn't exist. "NO! Mizuki, stop it, you know it's forbidden!" Iruka screamed, but Naruto shouted back "TELL ME!" "Very well, the truth is Naruto, sealed within you is the Kyuubi that attacked our village 10 years ago! You're nothing more than the Kyuubi reborn and we all know that. As a matter of fact, let me do this village a favor and get rid of you, right now" he gloated enjoying the crushing realization on Naruto's face. "This is why they look at me like that. They don't see me, they see the Kyuubi. They all think I'm a monster waiting to strike at them." He said to himself, then turned and ran. Let anyone say what they want about Naruto, but it's hard to find him if he doesn't wants to be found.

Naruto watched from his hidden perch as Mizuki questioned Iruka. "Why bother protecting him? He's just a demon, taking off and protecting himself." He said with a smirk on his face. "You're right" Iruka replied, crush Naruto's spirit. "Iruka-sensei thinks I'm a monster too?" Naruto sobbed to himself but heard Iruka speak again. "Demons do act like that, but that kid is no demon. He's Uzumaki Naruto, a proud member of Konoha and worth much more than you, traitor!" He exclaimed, while Naruto finally felt the joy of knowing someone had faith in him. Meanwhile Mizuki just shook his head in disappointment. "Oh Iruka, I wish you thought better. I was gonna kill you later but I think I should just get the job done now" he screamed as he ran towards Iruka, his massive shurken spinning in the night. Suddenly, an orange blur crashed into him, knocking him off course and onto a nearby branch. "If you ever lay a hand on my sensei again, I'll kill you." Naruto said, absolute determination in his voice. Mizuki laughed out loud. "You, you're the dead last, you couldn't do anything to me if you tried. Now you can join your precious sensei in death" he cackled and ran forward. "Try anything you want, I'll give it back to you a thousand fold" Naruto said, gather his chakra and forming the ram seal. "Kage Bushin no Justsu!" he roared, and suddenly, a sea of orange replaced the empty clearing. The clones made short work of Mizuki and Iruka beckoned Naruto to him. "Close your eyes Naruto" he said, placing his own headband over Naruto's forehead. "You can open them now… Genin Uzumaki." Iruka smiled as he looked at the joy in Naruto's face.

Suddenly, they realized they weren't alone, as the Hokage walked towards them, with a smile on his face. "Iruka-kun, Naruto-kun it's good to see you two safe and sound." He looked at each of them closely and noticed that while Iruka seemed fine for the most part, Narutos's eyes were haunted by unasked questions. "Naruto-kun, is there anything you want to ask me?" Sarutobi said, kneeling down beside the child. "Am I a monster jiji? Is that why they hate me so much?" he asked, his voice quivering. Sarutobi could feel his heart breaking but knew he must answer this carefully or the child's psyche could be forever destroyed. "Naruto, if I take a kunai and seal it in a scroll, is the scroll the kunai?" he asked, and Naruto shook his head in response. "Exactly. You are the container, the prison, if you will. You protect the people of Konoha every day from a monster that would like nothing better than to destroy them all. You're a hero, just as the Yondaime intended" he said, staring at Naruto the entire time. "Then why don't they respect me? If it wasn't for me, they'd all be dead, why should I help or care for any of them? Naruto questioned, becoming more furious with each passing second. "Naruto, you often tell me that you want my hat and job. Do you know what it truly means to be Hokage?" he asked softly. "That's easy Jiji. You're the strongest in the village so everyone has to respect you and do as you say." He responded. Sarutobi shook his head and looked at Naruto. "If you truly believe that Naruto, then you'll never wear this hat. Being Hokage is not about the villagers respecting you. It's about you respecting the faith the villagers put in you. You must view the village as family and be willing to lay down your life if it meant they would live to see another day." Sarutobi said with conviction in his voice. Naruto looked pensive for a moment then looked closely at Sarutobi as though trying to look inside him. "Does that include me Jiji?" he asked softly. Sarutobi smiled and responded. "Of course it does Naruto, you're a member of Konoha too and even though you drive me crazy sometimes, I'll, I'll do whatever I can to protect you as well." Naruto smiled and looked at Sarutobi. " I"I think I understand Jiji. I may not like how they treat me, but I'll protect them because to be Hokage is to protect everyone" he said with confidence. "The will of fire burns strong within you Naruto. Hold to that belief and you will become a force to be reckoned with. Now what do you say we all head back to the village and try to put this night behind us?" Sarutobi said with a smile, knowing that Naruto would be just fine.

1 year later

The Valley of the End. It is said that the founder of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Madara waged battle against the first Hokage, Senju Hashirama inHashirama in this very spot some 60 years ago. Their battle forged the landscape and now a new battle was taking place between two young men whose ideals clashed. The last loyal Uchiha they called him, after his brother Itachi wiped out the clan leaving only he, Uchiha Sasuke alive. No one in the village save his other teammates could possibly recognize him now. His usual cream-colored skin was a dark grey while his hair had grown down to his shoulders. Most strange of all, from his shoulders grew large bat-like wings allowing him to glide through the air. His arm was crackling with electricity as he prepared to lunge forward, to stop the only thing keeping him from joining the Snake Sannin and traitor to Konoha, Orochimaru - His annoying baka of a teammate, Uzumaki Naruto. He knew there was something weird with Naruto, ever since he saw Itachi pay more attention to Naruto rather than himself. Naruto was a no name orphaned dead last where as he was the last scion of the Uchiha clan. It was maddening to think that someone as useless as Naruto could begin to catch up to Sasuke but finally he thought he understood. "This strange red chakra around Naruto must be what makes him special." he thought to himself. For while he was unrecognizable but humanoid, the only way to describe Naruto was monstrous. Hunched over on all fours and surrounded by a sickly, bubbly red chakra, Naruto looked more animal than human. Two long ears flowed above his head while a single tail waved behind him. His eyes, normally ocean blue were blood red and his pupil slit, as though he was a cat. Sasuke, idly wondered if that was what it was like to look upon the Sharingan.

"Sasuke, I can't let you go through with this! I promised them I'd bring you back and I'll do it, even if I have to break every bone in your body!" Naruto growled, the environment causing his voice to echo. "Naruto, you don't know anything. That village is keeping me weak. Our missions are pathetic jokes; nothing there will give me the strength I need to avenge my clan. Orochimaru is offering me the power needed to accomplish my goals and even if I have to sell my soul to the devil for power I will do what I must to have my revenge" Sasuke replied, his tone detached as though discussing the weather and not defection from his home village. "Sasuke I understand where you're coming from" started Naruto, eliciting the first emotional reaction from Sasuke all afternoon. "NO YOU DON'T! You're an orphan; you never knew your family. How can you possibly think you know the pain of loss?" He asked, his voice turning into a sneer at the end. "You're right." Naruto replied. "I don't know what it's like to lose your whole family but when I'm with Iruka-sensei, I think that's what itsit's like to have a father. When the Sandaime died, it felt like losing my grandfather and while I wish I had cousins and aunts and uncles with me do you know what's the one thing I wish I had?" he questioned. Sasuke looked at him with barely veiled boredom. "Why should I care what a loser like you wants?" he said as he focused more chakra into the already crackling chidoriChidori. "The one thing I wanted more than anything was someone I could rely on, that I could trust to have my back. A brother. And for a while, I thought it could be you" he" he replied. Sasuke looked at him, his Sharingan making this distance minimal, looking for any trace of deceit. "HA HA HA HA HA! You honestly thought I'd see you as a brother? You want to know what I see you as? A stepping-stone. One that I'm going to walk over on the path to true power" He said as he lunged towards Naruto, using his pseudo wings to gain momentum. "If that's the way it has to be Sasuke, then I'd like to see you try" Naruto spoke to himself, as he formed a condensed rotating ball of chakra – The Rasengan. A justu jutsu passed on to him by his part-time sensei, Jiraiya, the toad sage. Rasengan in hand, he ran and leapt towards Sasuke, arm outstretched as their jutsus collided, neither gaining way over the other. Suddenly the energy from the two jutsu began to pulsate and the last thing Naruto saw before blacking out was a sudden bright light surrounding him.


	3. The Truth of Things

Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto or Harry Potter. They're owned by Masashi Kishimoto and J.K. Rowling respectively. Please support the official release.

"Ughh, what happened?" Harry wonders, as he struggles to get back to his feet. His head is throbbing but suddenly he remembers what happened and begins searching for Quirrel, not realizing he isn't in Hogwarts anymore. He franticly turns around, wand at the ready, the various jinxes and curses he's learned flowing through his mind when he finally takes in his surroundings. There's no sign of the antechamber or the mirror or even Quirrel; the room appears to be a wide expanse with no visible walls and seems to stretch out into the distance. As he moves forward, he notices something however, there appears to be someone lying on the ground maybe 100 meters from him. Unsure of who this person is or where they are, Harry moves cautiously towards him, trying to figure out who this stranger is. As he gets closer, he sees that the stranger looks to be a young boy, a bit bigger than himself. The boy has hair as unkempt as his own, but instead of sticking up in random directions, it seems to all stick up like the quills of a porcupine. The only other distinguishing marks on the boy seemed to be weird lines across his face, like a demented tattoo or odd birthmark, although Harry stopped judging when he thought about how muggles would react to his scar. Suddenly the boy stirred and began looking around screaming what seemed like gibberish to Harry but vaguely Japanese. The boy finally noticed Harry standing nearby and began to shout at him while waving his arms about, which started freaking Harry out. "I'm not sure who you are or where we are, but back off and calm down man," he said while aiming his wand at the stranger.

Naruto was confused as to what happened. He had used the Rasengan against Sasuke's chidori before but the recoil was never enough to knock him out cold. "Sasuke, where are you?!" He screamed as he turned around looking for his former ally. Standing a short distance away was a boy dressed in what looked to be black robes, wearing glasses and had a weird scar on his head, kind of like a lightning bolt. "_Hey who are you and where are we?! Have you seen Sasuke anywhere, he's about my height and has black hair kinda like yours. We just had this huge fight and I gotta take him back home or Sakura-chan will be depressed." _Naruto knew people thought he was a bit slow, but he knew when someone was trying to threaten him. Whoever this guy was, he obviously thought he could threaten Naruto with his little stick and so Naruto prepared his go-to jutsu. As he gathered his chakra and held his hands in the familiar cross seal, a thunderous pulse shook the ground below them. From beneath them a large gate arose, adorned with different designs and text that neither boy could read. In front of the gate lay the most confusing thing however. It looked like the outline of a person with a shadow radiating out around it, with no discernable features save a large mouth stretched into a grin.

"Welcome boys. It's been a good long while since I had guests to entertain here." The creature stated, but looked at the confused expressions on each boys face. "Ah mortals and their language problems" he mused, before snapping his fingers. "I trust you can understand me now?" he questioned, leading Harry to nod and Naruto to erupt in confusion. "Who the hell are you and where are we!? I have to stop Sasuke get back to the village before I'm marked as a missing-nin!" he shouted before the creature leveled what seemed to be a glare at him. "Naruto, I know you like to talk first and think later, but for the next little while be quiet or you'll regret it" the creature stated while exuding what seemed to be killing intent. "This guy is more intense than the fox, maybe I should calm down and wait" he thought to himself before nodding that he would be quiet.

"Excellent. Now, I suppose the first thing you're wondering is where you are. This is sort of a nexus between dimensions and the gate behind me is your ticket back to either of your homes or onto another one. As for me, I'm what you might call The Gatekeeper. Pay my toll and I send you on your way, but if you can't then I get to take what I want before sending you right back home." The Gatekeeper replies with a grin. The boys looked at him with shocked expressions each lost in their thoughts, before Harry asked the first question. "How did we get here then? And why are we both here if we live in different dimensions?" he asked, trying to be as polite as possible. "Well see that's the funny bit kid. You got here because you activated that lovely red stone that you were fighting over whereas Naruto got here because the energy from his fuzzy little friend reacted badly with the tainted chakra from the other kids attack. Since your fuzzy wants to save his own skin at all costs, he forced the reaction to open a gateway here instead of blowing up and wiping you and the entire landscape of your map. For both of you to be here at the same time is just a quirk of fate."

Naruto had been quiet, reflecting on these revelations when he finally decided to ask something. "Well I don't know about you Harry, but I need to get back home so what can I do to get there?" He asked as nicely as he could. The Gatekeeper smirked at him before responding "Well I could easily send you both back but I'm gonna do you both a favor. See, I exist outside of time so I can view your lives at any point in time, past and future and from what I've seen, things don't work out so well without a little help from yours truly. Naruto, I'm gonna suggest you follow Harry to his own world. If you went home right now, you're gonna be sent on a 3 year training mission to be ready for the guys who want to take the fox from you. By doing this you get strong but not strong enough, however if you go to Harry's world and master the techniques there, you'll be in a league of your own back home." Naruto hesitated at that, the indecision clear on his face. "How can I leave my friends behind for 3 years? Iruka-sensei, Tsunade-Baachan, Sakura-chan, Kakashi-sensei. It would kill them for me to just disappear like that." he thought as the Gatekeeper and Harry stood in front of him. "What a tough break" thought Harry, as he imagined having to leave his friends behind and travel to another world. "Hmm how about you look at it like this Naruto. If you go through with this, you'll be able to train harder so that you can protect your allies when you return and as an added bonus, I'll let you in on a secret. Your buddy Sasuke went to join Orochimaru right? Well for the next 3 years, he's gonna be training day in and out, so maybe this will be your opportunity to get strong enough to save him" said The Gatekeeper, while smiling, knowing he had sold his point.

"Alright, you win. I'll go with Harry to his world! Now send me through!" Naruto said with bravado, even if his heart was conflicted. Before he could continue though, Harry finally spoke again. "Hold on a minute. You said we have to pay the toll to go through your gate. What do we have to pay?" "It doesn't matter what the cost, I'll do whatever it takes to help my friends!" Naruto said with fire in his eyes. "Ha ha ha, I like you Harry. You ask the right questions. Now in your specific case, I'm gonna be taking those extra souls you're both carrying as payment for each trip through the gate. So one soul will take you back to Harry's world, then in three years you'll have your best opportunity to take care of Voldemort Harry. Then if you decide to come along with Naruto, which I highly recommend, I'll take the other soul as your fee into Naruto's world. Hell I'm feeling generous. You kill Voldemort in 3 years and I'll let you travel back to your world eventually for free. I don't care for anyone who tries to cheat death like that roach has" he finished with a grimace. "Why would I want to leave my world after killing Voldemort? Wouldn't I want to enjoy time with my friends and loved ones?" Harry questioned not understanding the Gatekeepers logic. "Ordinarily, you would but sadly, the magical world is run by idiots who are gonna see a 14 year old kid beat Voldemort. They're gonna assume you're worse than he is just because you had more power than him and they'll unfortunately turn on you. The best thing for you to do in that case would be to lay low for a while and moving to another world for a while would be the best way to go about that." The Gatekeeper responded. "Hey Harry, don't worry, I'll look out for you if you come to my home. Konoha is awesome and you'll like everyone there!" Naruto jumped in with a smile, having seen Harry's face fall when he realized what waited for him in the future.

"Alrighty, now that that's dealt with, on to business. Let's see the souls you have to pay me with." Said the Gatekeeper, his grin more spread out looking almost maniacal. As if on cue, both boys began to glow and soon enough, they weren't the only people in the room. Behind Naruto stood two people, a blond man who looked like an aged version of Naruto and a red haired woman with a kind expression on her face. Beside Harry stood his recent enemy, Professor Quirrel as well as a large snake that seemed to be asleep.

The two beside Naruto looked at him with fond expressions. "Wow son, you're so much bigger than the last time we saw you face to face" the man stated smiling while the woman just walked towards Naruto and hugged him while sobbing. "Son? Are you my parents?" Naruto asked, with hope blatant in his voice. As an orphan, he often wondered who his parents were and after learning of his burden wondered if they simply threw him away thinking he was the Kyuubi reincarnated. "Yes Naruto, I'm you're father, Namikaze Minato but you might know me by a different title. In life I was known as the Fourth Hokage and this here is your mother, Uzumaki Kushina. We gave you her last name so my enemies wouldn't come after you. We're so sorry you had to bear this burden by yourself but we had faith that if anyone could do it, it would be you" the man said with tears in his eyes and a bittersweet smile on his face. "How can you both be here though? Jiji told me you died when the Kyuubi attacked" Naruto said with tears running down his face. "I sealed part of both mine and your mother's souls into the seal that holds the Kyuubi so that if things ever got bad to the point that the seal was going to break, we could step in and help you out. Looks like we get to help you in a different way now." Minato said, all the while smiling. Suddenly, Naruto jumped back, realizing what Minato meant. "NO! How can I give you up when I just found you both?" He screamed, staring at his parents. "Naruto honey, you have to understand, we aren't really alive. Even if we were in Konoha, we would fade away after this conversation. At least this way we can fade away knowing we did something that will help you become who you were meant to be" Kushina said, trying not to cry. Naruto looked at them, drinking in the loving expressions on both their faces. For an orphan, this was paradise. To know his parents loved him and were willing to sacrifice their very souls to help him. "Thank you. I swear I'll learn everything I can, go back to Konoha and make you both proud!" He said, with a smile, while giving them a thumbs up. Minato and Kushina looked at each other, before walking forward and hugging him. "Naruto, we're already proud of you. Now go on and be a hero son" They said before they both turned into balls of light and flew towards the Gatekeeper.

While Naruto had his moment with his parents, Harry was both envious and confused. While he got to see his parents in the Mirror of Erised, he was unable to speak to them as Naruto did with his. He then turned to the Gatekeeper, hoping to understand why Quirrell and a Snake were his payments. "Well, when you activated the stone, Quirrell was about a few seconds away from death and Voldemort's soul had already fled the body so his soul latched onto you on the way here, so you can use it. As for the snake, that's actually the other half of Voldemort's soul. When he attacked you that night, his soul got cut in half, part of it escaped and eventually found Quirrell while the other half bound itself to you. So I'll be taking both of them as your fee." The Gatekeeper replied. Harry nodded before another thought came to mind. "So if these souls are our payment, what's the normal payment?" The Gatekeeper began to laugh as he looked at Harry. "I haven't met someone who's amused me this much in a long time. Ordinarily, if a person can't pay in a soul or something as valuable, I tend to take things that make it painfully obvious that they've dealt with me. Why I remember these two brothers that I dealt with. They were fun to mess with. Maybe I'll tell you their story next time, but it looks like Naruto is done with his souls." He stated as two balls of light were absorbed into him. Once absorbed, Quirrell and the snake also turned to light and were absorbed into the Gatekeeper. "Ah excellent. Now, one last thing to make the game more fun. You two are kids. While you're determined, the people you're trying to fight have decades experience on you at least. So what I'm gonna do is take the knowledge from Voldemort and Minato and put it in your heads. Now having this knowledge doesn't mean you know the spells or jutsu, you still need to practice and learn them. This should even up the playing field a bit." Before either boy could do anything, The Gatekeeper rushed forward and hit each both in the middle of their foreheads causing the knowledge to be transferred to them. They felt as though their heads would explode before finally the pain wore off and they felt normal. "Give it a few days, once the memories have a chance to sort themselves out, you'll be able to recall all the spells at will. Oh and final thing. Naruto, unlike in your world, the techniques in Harry's world are ill suited to deal with something like the Kyuubi breaking free. So while you will have access to his chakra to train with, I'm going to block his ability to take control of you until you return to your world. The reason I'm only doing this here is that someday you may need to work with the fox, but it won't be for a while. So with that our time is up, and it's time for you to get out of here" The Gatekeeper responds with his grin fixed firmly in place. As Naruto and Harry move towards the gate, Naruto looks to Harry. "So are you up to working together to stop Voldemort, get strong, go to my world and save the day?" he asks with a smile. Harry can't help but smile at how upbeat Naruto is "After what I've seen and heard today, I'm willing to work with you" he says, offering his hand. Naruto looks down, smiles and returns the shake, cementing their partnership. As the gate opens, bright light pouring from it, they hear the Gatekeeper shout out something. "When you wake up, tell Albus the dog shouldn't be in the kennel while the rat escapes. The truth shall set him free." The boys nod in confusion before entering the gate and beginning their journey home.

As the gate shuts, the Gatekeeper senses a presence nearby. "Did you prepare them?" says an echoing voice in the empty room. "Yeah, I gave them the tools they need, now let's see if they can pull it off" he replies. "Since when do you get involved in the affairs of mortals? I thought that was more your brothers gimmick" The Gatekeeper replies. "While it is true that Death has a tendency to get involved in the affairs, both those children bear my mark and as such I shall look into their lives. I will look in again on them in 3 years when they pass through here. Have a report ready for me by then, Veritas" the voice replied, using the Gatekeepers true name. When he couldn't feel the presence anymore, he began to wonder about the boys. "How could they have _Her_ marks?" he mused when suddenly he realized - the lightning bolt on Harry's forehead and the Kyuubi's seal on Naruto's stomach. Harry's scar had felt slightly off when he tried to sense the two boys before making himself visible and he was surprised to see that Naruto's seal had held up against the Kyuubi for 12 years, but now it made sense. "So now Destiny has brought two of her marked ones together. This should be fun to watch" he thought to himself, as he faded back to his home dimension, awaiting the next time he would be called by someone trying to pass through his gate.


	4. Get Your Story Straight

Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto or Harry Potter. They're owned by Masashi Kishimoto and J.K. Rowling respectively. Please support the official release.

"Everything smells clean" Harry thought, as he lay down, unsure of his surroundings. As he reached over for his glasses, he realized he was in the hospital wing, with Professor Dumbledore sitting beside him. Slowly lifting himself up and out of bed, Harry turned to the professor while sorting his thoughts between what he thought happened and what he felt he imagined. "Professor, what exactly happened with Voldemort? My head is pounding and it feels like my memories are all jumbled up." Albus nodded and adopted a pensive look.

"To be perfectly honest Harry, I was rather hoping you would be able to shed some light on the events that transpired in the mirror chamber. As I understand from both Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley, the three of you were convinced that someone was making a move on the stone. Naturally, you felt inclined to prevent its theft but in the end, only you went through the wall of fire while your friends returned to the school and entirely by coincidence managed to find me standing outside Fluffy's door. I thoroughly expected to find you doing your best against Professor Quirrell, however you can imagine my confusion at the scene that lay before me." Harry felt his headache receding while listening to the professor but felt more confusion after processing his last words. "What do you mean Professor? What did you find?" He asked, hoping for a simple explanation. "All that remained in the room was a lingering impression of a dark spirit, along with two bodies – yours and the young man in the bed over there." Dumbledore responded while gesturing at Naruto, sleeping soundly in the bed across from Harry.

"It was real then. Everything in the chamber actually happened." Harry thought to himself, numb at the reality of what transpired. The sudden realization that he only had three years to kill Voldemort was enough to make anyone vomit but instead he merely felt focused. With everything the Gatekeeper told them, he realized that he could do no less than prepare for the final fight and prepare to help Naruto with his journey. Drawn away from his musings by Professor Dumbledore's light cough, Harry had the decency to blush realizing he had effectively zoned out of the conversation upon his revelation. "I'm sorry sir, could you repeat the question?" he mumbled, while Dumbledore smiled in his grandfatherly way. "Not a problem my boy, I wonder if you would be so kind as to tell me what you know about our surprise guest." But as he spoke, Naruto's eyes snapped open as he rolled out of bed confusion written all over his face.

"What just happened? Hey Harry is that you over there?" Naruto said as his confusion cleared up. "Oh man the Gatekeeper was right, this must be your world right? Aww this is gonna be so cool, we get to do magic and train and stuff right?" The sheer excitement in his voice was infectious as Harry couldn't help but smirk as he watched Naruto bounce around. Professor Dumbledore it seemed was not immune to Naruto's exuberance as he too was smiling before finally taking a moment to speak to this strange young man.

"Hello young man. I am Professor Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Could you please tell me who you are and how exactly I found you downstairs with Harry?" Naruto looked at him carefully noticing that while there was a jovial look in the professor's eye, there was that glint of steel that he had only seen in one other person. "Jiji…" he whispered, before the looks of confusion brought him back to reality. "Eh, sorry about that, your eyes look like someone close to me. Anyways, my name is Naruto Uzumaki, future Hokage of Konoha!" Dumbledore nodded filing the innocuous comment away for future thought. "Well Mr. Uzumaki, it is a pleasure to meet you. Perhaps if both you and Harry are up to it, we can continue this conversation in my office. The walls have ears around here" he said with a smile but both boys immediately understood the subtext of his statement. The boys nodded and followed Professor Dumbledore out of the hospital wing and up towards his office.

The walk to the office was one of the most surreal experiences of Naruto's young life. He could summon toads to fight with him, make physical clones of himself and had a living entity made entirely of energy sealed within his mind, yet the idea of an ancient castle filled with ghosts just blew his mind. It took every ounce of self-control not to run after the ghosts and bombard them with questions. Soon enough however, without running into any students, the trio made it to Professor Dumbledore's office.

The office was large and seemingly cluttered, but having seen the Sandaime's office, Naruto knew this man must know where everything of use was. As they moved towards his desk, Naruto's attention was drawn towards the bright red bird sitting on his perch. "Whoa, what kinda bird is that?" He asked, his excitement finally getting the better of him. "Fawkes is a phoenix my boy. He's been my companion for years and has stuck with me through some tough times." Dumbledore stated, while Naruto nodded as though understanding. "I see, so he's your partner, kinda like me and Gamakichi," he said as they all sat down. While Dumbledore had no idea who Gamakichi was, he did agree with the notion that Fawkes was his partner.

"Well then boys, perhaps we should get down to business." Dumbledore said as he noticed the reactions of the two boys in the way that only an educator can. Harry adopted a more guarded posture, as though he was hesitant to show that he knew what was being asked of him, which worried Albus. Conversely, Naruto's change in demeanor was astounding. Gone was the inquisitive child; in his place was a young man whose posture would not have been out of place in a boardroom conference. Albus was visibly surprised by his reaction to the point where he felt the need to put the poor child at ease. "Naruto, you can relax. This is not a particularly formal event so don't look so official." He smiled as he spoke, but to his confusion, Naruto did not change his posture. "Sorry Albus-sensei, but as a shinobi, this meeting is akin to a mission report and this is the way I'm expected to report." He responded, leaving Albus somewhat confused but he always prided himself on his ability to roll with events, so he just pressed on.

"So then, would you please explain what exactly happened down in the chamber Harry? I feel as though Naruto's story intersects with yours soon after your confrontation with Voldemort." Harry nodded, took a deep breath and began to explain what had happened when he found Professor Quirrell. How Voldemort spoke to him and how his touch managed to burn the professor. Finally when he reached his entry to the Gatekeeper's realm, Naruto stepped forward and explained how he entered the realm as well. This was followed by the two boys explaining the goals given to them by the Gatekeeper, as well as the means by which their travel would be accomplished.

Dumbledore listened carefully to the boys and felt his true age strike him when he heard of the tasks before them. He wasn't sure what scared him more – that Harry had 3 years to kill Voldemort or that the memories of Voldemort were in the minds of both these children. As if that was not enough, Naruto was a container for a literal demon and had to deal with the defection of his closest friend. This struck a chord with Albus and reminded him of his time with Gellert. While he could do nothing to change his own past, he swore he would do everything in his power to help these two boys achieve their goals.

Harry looked closely at Dumbledore while he spoke, looking for any sign that the professor may have expected some of what he said. He felt justified when he saw Dumbledore flinch at the mention of Voldemorts soul being bound to Harry. Once Dumbledore was fully caught up, Harry felt he needed to ask for the truth. If Dumbledore knew that Voldemorts soul was attached to Harry and didn't do anything about it, then how much of the pain in his life could be laid at Dumbledore's feet?

"Professor, I need to ask you something and please be completely honest with me. When I said Voldemorts soul was attached to me, you flinched but weren't shocked. This tells me that you expected it but you didn't tell me anything about it. If you were privy to this kind of information, then you must have some ideas about my home life correct?" Harry said, his voice level with no emotional inflections. Albus looked legitimately confused before responding. "Harry, while I had suspicions that your scar was no mere scar, I did not have any concrete facts with which to bother you with. I felt it was more important that I allow you to have as normal a childhood as possible than to burden you with the as yet unfounded thoughts of an old man. As far as your home life, shortly after the death of your parents, I made the decision to send you to your Aunt's home for two reasons. The first was that if I left you with any of the wizarding families who wished to claim you, you would grow up to either be a puppet for a family looking to improve their status by raising the Boy who Lived. In fact, as a result of his political clout, you most likely would have ended up as a ward of the Malfoy family, which I can't imagine you would enjoy" He stated with a small smile. While Harry nodded along, he was still not fully satisfied. "And the second reason sir?" He asked, maintaining his neutral tone. "Well Harry, the second reason connects to the actions of your mother. Since Lily sacrificed herself for you, her protection is carried on in her blood. Blood that you happen to share with your Aunt, so you see that as long as you reside in her home, you are protected from those who wish to harm you. I dare say that if Voldemort himself stood across from Number 4, he would not so much as be able to enter the garden of the house."

Harry sat there, lost in thought. What Dumbledore said made sense, but there was one thing that still nagged at Harry, which needed to be clarified. "While that makes sense sir, I need to know – What do you know about my home life exactly?" Dumbledore paused, slightly worried and responded. "To be honest Harry, I do not know too much about your home condition. I know that your aunt and uncle keep their home in immaculate condition and besides the fact that you do honestly look a little underweight, I thought you had a comfortable home life."

Harry's eyes were downcast as he began to tremble. While Albus assumed it was from sadness, he was proven wrong when Harry's head snapped up, his face deformed into a mask of rage. Albus was taken aback at how much anger was reflected in those green orbs when Harry began speaking. "A comfortable home life? I don't think I even know what the words mean! From the moment I was old enough to walk, I was basically a servant for those people. I slept in a cupboard under the stairs until Hagrid showed up with my letter for Gods sake! How am I supposed to trust you when you couldn't even be bothered to check in on me if you were the one who put me there in the first place?!" He spat, the venom dripping from his words. Albus felt as though he had been stabbed when he heard what Harry had to say, while Naruto stayed quite, but realized that Harry's life was not too different from his own. "Harry, I swear to you, I didn't know any of that. Had I know, I would have been the first to step in and change things but I can't change the past. All I can ask is that you give me a chance to help you now." Albus looked sincere as he spoke, but Harry's heart was raw with pain from this perceived betrayal.

"Umm, Harry I think you should accept his apology" Naruto stated, his face oddly relaxed, given the tense conversation going on. "Why should I bother?" Said Harry, knowing he sounded like a petulant child but not really caring at the moment. "When I was younger, the leader of our village was like a grandfather to me, but because he was the leader, he didn't get to spend much time with me and as such I had to fend for myself a lot. Most of the time, I didn't even know he had set up a protection system for me incase anything bad happened. It sounds to me that Albus-sensei did the same kind of thing for you. He seems honestly sorry for how things played out so I think you should give him another chance. After all, you don't want to carry a grudge like that, you never know when it may be too late to talk to the ones around you." He finished, looking at the ground, his voice wavering at the memories of the Sandaime.

Harry looked at him, shock on his face. It seemed that there were hidden depths to Naruto he didn't see at first. He nodded at Naruto's words, "You make a good point. Professor, I'll accept your apology just so long as you agree that we're working together from here on out. Just don't hide things from me that are about me directly." Naruto smiled and nodded, while Albus felt a weight lifted from his shoulders. "Thank you Harry, and you too Naruto for your words of wisdom. I promise, I will work with you both closely from here on out. I suppose then, that the first two things we need to do are create a reasonable explanation for why Naruto is here and find alternative living conditions for the both of you. I can't in good conscious send you back to the Dursley's knowing how they treat you." Harry smiled at the thought of leaving Privet Drive forever; feeling that one of his dreams had come true.

"Oh wait a minute. There was one more thing." Said Harry, getting the attention of the others. "Right when we left the Gatekeeper, he said we should pass on a message for you Professor. He said that the dog shouldn't be in the kennel when the rat runs free and that the truth will set him free. Does that mean anything to you?" The color drained from Albus's face as Harry finished speaking. "Are you okay Albus-sensei?" asked Naruto, worrying as to what could cause such a severe reaction. "I'm okay, just shocked because if what you say is true, then a good man has sat in Hell for 10 years." "What do you mean he's in hell? Is he dead?" Naruto questioned while Harry looked confused but did not voice it. "No, he's not dead Naruto but if I'm correct, the man we seek has spent 10 years locked away in Azkaban, the wizard prison." Albus stated looking disturbed. While Harry was visibly shocked, Naruto was confused as to the significance of 10 years in prison as a result of his upbringing, so he was unaware of the feared guards of the prison – The Dementors. "So these Dementors eat all your happy feelings and if they get close enough to you, they suck out your soul?" Naruto asked to clarify the explanation given to him by Harry. "Yeah that's what they do" he replied. "That's creepy. No wonder you guys are worried about him. So who is this mystery guy with luck worse than the two of us?" Naruto questioned. Albus was silent for a moment, then chose to respond to the question. "Interestingly enough Naruto, the man we are discussing is one of the most qualified people to solve the problem of guardianship for the both of you. His name is Sirius Black. He was your fathers best friend Harry, he was named as your Godfather and not 15 minutes ago, had you asked me who he was, I would have immediately said he was the one who betrayed your parents to Voldemort."

The silence in the room was deafening. Naruto was in shock, even as a shinobi, he couldn't image betraying your best friends to their enemy. "Those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash," he mumbled to himself. "Very true Naruto" Albus responded. "However, as you can see, based on your information, it is possible that he isn't guilty. I will need to investigate this carefully, but you have my word that if he is fact innocent, I will do everything I can do save him. In the meanwhile, we should come up with a cover story for Naruto here." Albus said, while stroking his chin. After a few moments of silence he spoke again. "Ah, I have it. Naruto, while you are here, if anyone asks where you are from, simply tell them you were raised in a small village in Japan. Your native language seems similar enough to Japanese that no one should be able to question it. Not too long ago, you had the good fortune to meet Nicholas Flamel, who in turn asked that I allow you to attend Hogwarts this year and enter you into second year. You met Harry while here in my office and the two of you became fast friends. You'll need to work hard over the summer to catch up to Harry's skill level, but with that delightful clone technique of yours, I think you'll catch up in no time." Naruto sat there, letting the idea roll around in his head before nodding in agreement. "That should be fine, if people ask me about my friends, I can talk about them without too much worry." Albus smiled while Harry looked content that his new partner had a reasonable cover story. "Now then, given that we have tied up most of our loose ends, I believe now is as good a time as any for the two of you to return to Gryffindor tower. Just so you know Harry, you are exempt from this years final exams due to them happening two days ago while you recovered in the hospital wing." Albus said, giving the boys leave to exit his office.

"Just a moment Naruto." Albus said, as Naruto was about to close the door. He paused and motioned for Harry to give him a minute. With the door closed behind him, he looked quizzically at Albus. "Yeah Albus-sensei, what's up?" He questioned. Albus polished his half-moon glasses before looking intently at Naruto. "Naruto, we have only known each other for a short time period, yet when Harry doubted me, you leapt to my defense. Why?" Naruto was a bit surprised by this question and rubbed the back of his head while answering. "Albus-sensei, if I had to guess, you strike me as the kind who would have tried to fight back against Voldemort right?" Albus nodded, not sure what this had to do with anything. "Then it stands to reason, that you had people who worked under you and that you were responsible for right?" Again Albus merely nodded and motioned Naruto to continue. "If that's correct, then when Voldemort disappeared, there was probably a ton of clean up that had to be dealt with and since you led the opposition, a lot of the responsibilities fell on you. You did the best that you could with Harry at the time and while you probably should have checked up on him from time to time, there's no use complaining over what could have happened." Albus was in shock. This child had just shown more wisdom and depth than most adults Albus had dealt with in his long life. "How could you possibly have drawn that conclusion in the short time we've been here?" Albus asked, truly befuddled by the young man's insight. Naruto just smiled, his eyes drifting into the past. "You remind me of Jiji, the man who was like a grandfather to me. He basically did the same thing when the Kyuubi attacked. He wasn't able to take care of me on a day-to-day basis, but he made sure that I was able to take care of myself. I couldn't sit there and watch Harry possibly break the bond between the two of you." Albus was silent as a single tear rolled down his eye. "Naruto, when we met you said you were the future Hokage of Konoha. What did you mean by that?" "I'll protect everyone in the village as though they were my own family. A leader who puts their lives ahead of my own. That is what the Hokage truly is." He responded, with absolute conviction in himself. Albus nodded, thanked Naruto for his time and watched as he left his office.

"A leader who puts their lives ahead of your own? I have no doubt at all that someday you will be an amazing Hokage Naruto." Albus said to himself as he began drafting letters to request an inquiry into Sirius's trial.

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone, so by now you kinda have an idea of where this story is going. I'm open to suggestions about which characters you'd like to see changed around but just two things to keep in mind. 1) This won't be a bashing story and 2) Some characters, I have plans for so bear with me if it seems like I'm not following your suggestions. As always, reviews keep the machine running.


End file.
